Though most people think of orchids as tropical plants, there are many that
grow in colder climates all over the world. Oregon has an especially
beautiful one, the Calypso. This tiny flower is only an inch across and packs a punch with its brilliant magenta color and boldly patterned lip. I
like to think of it as the flower with attitude; the inventor of the original
spiked haircut. This one was found on a trail in the Columbia
Gorge.

When these orchids open for a short time each spring it's
as if the forest is being reborn. The plant's botanical name is Calypso
bulbosa. Though not endangered, they require special
conditions of shade, moisture, and soil that cannot be duplicated outside of
old-growth forest. The single leaf has a very limited ability to
photosynthesize, and so cannot provide all the nutrients the plant needs .
This orchid, along with many others in the Pacific Northwest, grows in
partnership with a fungus in the soil that shares nutrients taken from the roots
of trees. So in a way, the orchid is using the needles of evergreen trees
in the forest to provide the nourishment it needs through a fungus. For
this reason, they won't grow if dug up and taken home.